Prevalence and correlates of mild cognitive impairment among diverse Hispanics/Latinos: Study of Latinos-Investigation of Neurocognitive Aging results

IntroductionWe estimated the prevalence and correlates of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) among middle-aged and older diverse Hispanics/Latinos.MethodsMiddle-aged and older diverse Hispanics/Latinos enrolled (n = 6377; 50–86 years) in this multisite prospective cohort study were evaluated for MCI using the National Institute on Aging–Alzheimer's Association diagnostic criteria.ResultsThe overall MCI prevalence was 9.8%, which varied between Hispanic/Latino groups. Older age, high cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, and elevated depressive symptoms were significant correlates of MCI prevalence. Apolipoprotein E4 (APOE) and APOE2 were not significantly associated with MCI.DiscussionMCI prevalence varied among Hispanic/Latino backgrounds, but not as widely as reported in the previous studies. CVD risk and depressive symptoms were associated with increased MCI, whereas APOE4 was not, suggesting alternative etiologies for MCI among diverse Hispanics/Latinos. Our findings suggest that mitigating CVD risk factors may offer important pathways to understanding and reducing MCI and possibly dementia among diverse Hispanics/Latinos.     

Developing a Brief Neuropsychological Battery for Early Diagnosis of Cognitive Impairment

ObjectivesEarly diagnosis of cognitive impairment is increasingly emphasized in the literature to facilitate timely preventive interventions. Although bedside cognitive tests such as the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) are widely used for such early diagnostic purposes, they may not have comparable performance to a full neuropsychological battery (FNB) in diagnosing early cognitive impairment. This study investigated whether a small subset of neuropsychological tests can be added on to MoCA to match its performance to that of the FNB in discriminating mild cognitive impairment and dementia (MCI/dementia) from normal cognition.DesignCross-sectional diagnostic study.SettingAlzheimer's Disease Centers across the United States.ParticipantsOlder participants (≥50 years) who completed MoCA and the FNB (N = 9187).MeasuresThe study sample was split into two: the derivation sample (n = 1837) was used to develop a brief neuropsychological battery that best discriminated MCI/dementia (using the best-subset approach with 10-fold cross-validation); while the validation sample (n = 7350) verified its actual performance in discriminating MCI/dementia.ResultsA 3-item neuropsychological battery was identified, comprising MoCA, Benson Complex Figure Recall, and Craft Story 21 Delayed Recall. It had excellent performance in discriminating MCI/dementia from normal cognition (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUROC] 90.0%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 89.2%-90.7%), which was comparable to that of the FNB (AUROC 88.4%, 95% CI 87.6%-89.2%). By contrast, MoCA alone had significantly worse AUROC (86.9%, 95% CI 86.0%-87.7%) than that of the FNB.Conclusions/ImplicationsUsing rigorous methods, this study developed a brief neuropsychological battery that maintained the brevity of a bedside cognitive test, while rivaling the diagnostic performance of an FNB in early cognitive impairment. This brief battery offers a viable alternative when the FNB is needed but cannot be feasibly administered in nonspecialty clinics. It can have a wider health systems effect of improving patients’ access to accurate diagnosis in early cognitive impairment and facilitating timely interventions to delay the progression of cognitive impairment.     

Vitamin D,Cardiovascular System,and Longevity of Hemodialysis Patients

Abstract: The risk of cardiovascular death is high in hemodialysis (HD) patients, and thickening, stiffening and calcification of the arterial wall have been shown as its predictive factors. Activated vitamin D preparations are used for the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism in HD patients, but as they increase serum phosphate and calcium concentrations, there is a concern that they promote vascular calcification and, consequently, exacerbate the outcomes. In this article, the effects of vitamin D therapy on survival, cardiac function, arteriosclerosis, immunity, and inflammation are evaluated by reviewing the literature. In HD patients, the risk of death (particularly cardiovascular death) is significantly lower in those treated than in those not treated with vitamin D. Moreover, activated vitamin D improves cardiac function and alleviates cardiac hypertrophy in HD patients. Experimental data in cultured macrophages, vascular smooth muscle cells, and vascular endothelial cells suggest that it has antiatherosclerotic effects. In vivo, the administration of vitamin D improves immune functions and normalizes inflammatory reactions. In HD patients, vascular calcification is related to the dose of calcium carbonate, but its relationship with the administration of vitamin D is not significant. These observations suggest that, contrary to the general concerns, activated vitamin D exerts favorable effects on the cardiovascular system in HD patients as long as it is used in appropriate clinical doses.     

血清S100ββ变化与老年患者腹部手术后认知功能障碍的关系

目的观察老年患者腹部手术后S100ββ蛋白的变化以及术后认知功能障碍(POCD)的发生情况,并探讨二者的关系。方法26例65岁以上的老年患者ASAⅡ~Ⅲ级,行腹部手术。监测术前、术毕、术后6、24、48、72h血清S100ββ的变化,并评定术前及术后1周内的认知功能。结果老年患者血清S100ββ蛋白在术毕最高(P<0·01),术后6h和24h逐渐下降,但术后48h再次上升(P<0·01),术后72h回复至术前水平。26例老年患者腹部手术后1周内有7例发生POCD。POCD组与非POCD组相比,术毕及术后6h血清S100ββ蛋白水平明显增高(P<0·05)。结论老年患者腹部手术后POCD的发生与血清S100ββ蛋白的变化有密切关系。血清S100ββ蛋白可作为评估老年患者术后发生POCD的重要指标。     

VEGF在膀胱移行细胞癌中的表达研究

目的研究血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）在膀胱移行细胞癌（TCC）中的表达。方法应用免疫组织化学染色方法观察62例TCC标本VEGF的表达情况。结果TCC组中VEGF的阳性表达率为56．5％（35，62），而8例正常膀胱粘膜组织VEGF表达均为阴性，两组比较差异有高度显著性p〈0．01（x^2=9．032）；VEGF表达与膀胱肿瘤病理分级、临床分期、复发密切相关。结论VEGF的异常表达在TCC的发生、发展过两组比较差异有程中起重要作用；该指标的检测有助于预后判断。     

体外培养骨髓单个核细胞分泌促血管生长因子的实验研究

目的分析体外培养的骨髓单个核细胞持续分泌促血管生长因子的能力。方法从大鼠胫骨及股骨采集骨髓,密度梯度离心法分离出骨髓单个核细胞进行体外培养,并连续收集4周培养上清液。酶联免疫吸附实验(ELISA)法测定培养上清液中碱性成纤维细胞生长因子(bFGF)、血管内皮细胞生长因子(VEGF)和白介素-1β(IL-1β)等因子水平。结果第1、2、3、4周骨髓单个核细胞体外培养上清液中VEGF分别为(24.40±7.99)pg/m、l(89.28±5.13)pg/m、l(115.24±10.08)pg/m、l(157.00±15.64)pg/m l;bFGF含量分别为(52.72±2.13)pg/m、l(48.10±6.41)pg/m、l(44.71±3.21)pg/m、l(25.61±2.42)pg/m l;IL-1β含量分别为:(31.28±5.44)pg/m、l(71.87±3.01)pg/m、l(55.77±11.94)pg/m、l(41.75±9.14)pg/m。l结论体外培养骨髓单个核细胞可持续分泌VEGF、bFGF、IL-1β等多种促血管生长因子。     

Hydration and Cognitive Function in Children

Adequate fluid intake is critical for survival. While adults are at liberty to drink fluids as wanted, children and infants are dependent upon caregivers for food and fluid. Children are at greater risk for dehydration than adults due to their higher surface-to-mass ratio. Additionally, children have different thirst sensitivities and body cooling mechanisms than adults. Children differ from adults in total body water content, and boys and girls differ in body water content with maturation. Research in young adults shows that mild dehydration corresponding to only 1% to 2% of body weight loss can lead to significant impairment in cognitive function. Dehydration in infants is associated with confusion, irritability, and lethargy; in children, it may produce decrements in cognitive performance.     

前循环缺血性卒中老年患者颈动脉斑块及其稳定性与血流壁切应力的关系

目的通过探讨前循环缺血性卒中老年患者颈总动脉分叉处血流壁切应力的水平分析其在颈动脉斑块形成过程中的影响。方法本研究选择前循环缺血性卒中老年患者,应用经皮血管彩超测量颈动脉斑块及其稳定性以及对研究对象测量患侧颈动脉血流速度、血管内径和血液粘滞度,通过公式计算血流壁切应力。结果无斑块组和有斑块组之间、高回声和低回声斑块组之间血流壁切应力均有显著性差异(P<0．01)。结论血流壁低切应力促进颈动脉斑块、尤其是不稳定斑块的形成。     

血管内皮生长因子及炎性因子在油酸性犬急性呼吸窘迫综合征中的变化

目的探讨油酸性急性呼吸窘迫综合征（ARDS）beagle犬血浆及肺泡灌洗液血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）、可溶性细胞间黏附分子-1（ICAM-1）、白细胞介素-8（IL-8）、肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF—α）水平的改变。方法12只英国纯种beagle犬，静脉注射油酸0．15mL／kg，在注射油酸前、后1h，出现ARDS的典型表现时，抽血测VEGF、sICAM-1、IL-8、TNF—α，并对此时相作肺泡灌洗液VEGF、sICAM—1、IL-8、TNF-α的测定。结果beagle犬静脉注射油酸后1h血浆TNF—α升高（P〈0．05），血浆反肺泡灌洗液IL8、sICAM-1和VEGF在1h较油酸前没有明显变化（P〉0．05），beagle犬油酸型ARDS模型建立后血浆及肺泡灌洗液VECF、sICAM-1、IL-8、TNF—α均显著高于建模前（P〈0．05）。结论VEGF、sICAM-1、IL-8、TNF～α在beagle犬油酸型ARDS发生发展过程中可能均起重要作用，其水平的高低可能与ARDS严重程度及预后有关。     

Linguistic Validation of the US Spanish Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire, General Health Version

INTRODUCTION: There are no measures of health-related absenteeism and presenteeism validated for use in the large and increasing US Spanish-speaking population. Before using a Spanish translation of an available English-language questionnaire, the linguistic validity of the Spanish version must be established to ensure its conceptual equivalence to the original and its cultural appropriateness. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the linguistic validity of the US Spanish version of the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire, General Health Version (WPAI:GH). METHODS: A US Spanish translation of the US English WPAI:GH was created through a reiterative process of creating harmonized forward and back translations by independent translators. Spanish-speaking and English-speaking subjects residing in the US self-administered the WPAI:GH in their primary language and were subsequently debriefed by a bilingual (Spanish-English) interviewer. RESULTS: US Spanish subjects (N = 31) and English subjects (N = 35), stratified equally by educational level, with and without a high school degree participated in the study. The WPAI-GH item comprehension rate was 98.6% for Spanish and 99.6% for English. Response revision rates during debriefing were 1.6% for Spanish and 0.5% for English. Responses to hypothetical scenarios indicated that both language versions adequately differentiate sick time taken for health and non-health reasons and between absenteeism and presenteeism. CONCLUSION: Linguistic validity of the US Spanish translation of the WPAI:GH was established among a diverse US Spanish-speaking population, including those with minimal education.